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Paul soon will see whether N.H. effort pays off Martha T. Moore MANCHESTER, N.H. — On Tuesday nights, supporters of Republican
presidential candidate Ron Paul gather at Murphy's Taproom, their officially
unofficial hangout marked by Paul yard signs anchored in the curbside
snowdrifts. On Tuesday, New Hampshire residents will vote in the nation's first presidential primary. That's when Republicans will discover whether Paul's vote totals are as impressive as his fundraising. Paul, who ran for the White House in 1988 as a Libertarian, wants to abolish the federal tax system, withdraw all U.S. troops overseas and close military bases on foreign soil.
"It's the only thing that will end terrorism," says Michael Hampton, who runs a website called Homeland Stupidity. "It puts us on a much friendlier footing with other nations." In national opinion polls, Paul comes in last among the Republicans. Here in New Hampshire, the "Live Free or Die" state, he trails Mitt Romney and John McCain, the leading GOP candidates. A CNN/WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll released Wednesday shows the Texas congressman at 7% among Republican primary voters, within the 5-percentage-point margin of error behind Mike Huckabee, at 10%, and Rudy Giuliani, at 12%. Paul raised almost $20 million in the last three months of 2007, more than any other GOP candidate. He has a statewide organization, is running ads on radio and TV and has sent lots of direct mail to New Hampshire voters.
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